In Egypt, Morsi bans pre-trial detention of journalists

August 23, 2012 5:36 PM ET

New York, August 23, 2012--Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi banned pre-trial
detention of journalists charged with press-related offenses today in a decree issued
just hours after a Cairo criminal court jailed an editor pending trial on
charges of insulting the president, according to news reports.

"We welcome President Morsi's decision to ban pre-trial detention
but urge thorough reform that repeals the archaic laws criminalizing the reporting
of news and the expression of opinion," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
"Authorities must also halt an alarming rise in repression that has included
newspaper confiscations, criminal prosecutions, and assaults against
journalists."

A Giza criminal court had ordered the pre-trial detention of Islam
Afifi, editor-in-chief of the private daily Al-Dustour, who is charged
with "insulting the president" and "spreading rumors that could
disturb public safety and harm public interest," according to news
reports. Afifi's trial, originally scheduled to begin today, was postponed
to September 16 and the presiding judge ordered him jailed in Cairo's Tora
Prison, news reports said.

Afifi was freed shortly after Morsi issued the decree, according to
news
reports. Cairo's general prosecutor also lifted an August 12 order that
barred Afifi from traveling, according to news
reports. The travel ban was issued a day after a Cairo court ordered the
confiscation of several editions of Al-Dustour, CPJ research
shows.

Al-Dustour is well-known for its criticism of
the government's majority Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the
Muslim Brotherhood, news reports said. The daily has run several articles alleging
the Muslim Brotherhood would turn Egypt into an Islamic state, the reports
said.

Abdel-Halim Qandil editor-in-chief of the private weekly Sawt
al-Umma, and Adel Hammoda, editor-in-chief of the private weekly El-Fagr
are facing trial on similar charges of insulting the president, according to news
reports. Qandil's charge stems from an August 13 article that questioned
the president's intelligence, news reports said. Hammoda's charges stem from
articles on June 28 and August 9 calling the president a "fascist," and
"protector of terrorists," according to news reports.

Today's developments came against a backdrop of rising repression
in Egypt. On Wednesday, authorities confiscated several editions of the weekly Al-Shaab,
which is affiliated with Egypt's Labor Party, in connection with an article
criticizing the head of Egypt's intelligence apparatus, according to news
reports.

Earlier this month, Egypt's upper house of parliament, the Shura
Council, appointed new editors-in-chief of the country's state-run newspapers.
The move was
seen as placing people sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood in charge
of state news coverage. Over the past month, CPJ documented a
stream of attacks against journalists including the confiscation a newspaper,
the physical assault of three journalists on the street, and the censorship of
several newspapers.

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